Courtesy: capitals.nhl.com
Sometimes, it doesn’t matter how the two points are acquired, just that a win is a win… plain and simple.
Even though the New York Islanders are a struggling hockey team, the Washington Capitals were able to come away with two wins on back-to-back nights as they pulled out another 3-2 overtime win off the stick of their captain Alexander Ovechkin.
In a game where Islanders goaltender Anders Nilsson made his first NHL start in two seasons and just his sixth career NHL appearance in total, Washington had to work hard, but found a way to do so despite being somewhat fatigued from the previous night against the Canadiens.
It was a good night all around as the top-line played stellar, Martin Erat, despite requesting a trade earlier in November, played well and so did defenseman Dmitry Orlov as he made his Capitals debut in 2013-14. It’s safe to say that he may have earned a spot over the struggling Alexander Urbom, who was benched toward the end of the first period Friday after just 2:15 of ice time.
Braden Holtby was once again stellar between the pipes delivering a 37-save performance as he earned back-to-back wins on two nights where he had to be big for the Capitals. He was rushed into the start Friday night as Michal Neuvirth tripped over a puck during pre-game warmups and once again had to stop over 30 shots in his direction. The Capitals have allowed over 30 shots in 23 of their 27 games this season as the defense continues to struggle preventing offenses a lot of opportunities.
That being said, a win like this is good for head coach Adam Oates and his players. Getting Ovechkin back on the scoring sheet always helps, but seeing contributions from all over the roster — Aaron Volpatti scored his second goal of the season Saturday night — that’s something any coach can be proud of.
